jlavin8465
Nov 6, 2011
Undergraduate / 'America is not the egalitarian state' - Cornell ILR Essay [4]
Describe your intellectual interests, their evolution, and what makes them exciting to you. In your essay please address how the ILR curriculum will help you fulfill these interests and your long-term goals.
I used to hate people who begged for money on the subway. On my ride to school, these panhandlers would sing or dance, then badger me to make a donation. I would blatantly ignore them every time. Why would I sacrifice my own dollar for someone who was too lazy to work or to get an education? I didn't bother to look past their dirty, ragged clothes and listen to their stories, I would just pop in my ear buds and carry on.
Last fall, I began to volunteer at an afterschool program called the Specialized High School Institute (SHSI). SHSI aimed to help low-income 6th and 7th grade students gain admission to an elite NYC Specialized High School. I expected these kids to be the type that spent too much time playing video games instead of doing homework. To my surprise, many of them didn't even own a computer. They didn't go to schools where teachers pushed them, and they didn't have money to buy books or even school supplies. Many of them took the subway home by themselves - at 7:30PM. I realized that they couldn't be blamed if they didn't do well in the class. They didn't have the resources at their disposal, and they were left with a lot of responsibilities at such a young age.
This past summer, I interned at the Office of the Queens District Attorney. When my work was done, I liked to observe criminal court. Countless times I saw kids my own age or younger get sentenced for crimes such as assault, robbery, and drug possession. Some of them had parents who worked two or three jobs just to make ends meet, leaving the kids home to care for themselves, which subsequently led them to trouble. Most of them were members of minority groups, and the disadvantages that they had were evident. They weren't too lazy or too uneducated; they never had a chance to work or get an education in the first place. The same applied to the kids I worked with at SHSI. I thought of how shamefully ignorant I was. It's almost cruel to judge people and label them based on their success in society, because chances are, it wasn't a life that they willfully chose.
America is not the egalitarian state that it should be, and sometimes people are forced to go to drastic measures just to get by. Cornell's ILR School will allow me to learn about the labor economics and public policy that can make a difference. But for now, I'll do what I can. About a month ago, I was on the subway and a boy who was maybe 9 or 10 years old came into my car with a handheld stereo. He turned on some music, and began tap dancing. He stuck out his hat and I gave him a dollar.
Feedback?
Describe your intellectual interests, their evolution, and what makes them exciting to you. In your essay please address how the ILR curriculum will help you fulfill these interests and your long-term goals.
I used to hate people who begged for money on the subway. On my ride to school, these panhandlers would sing or dance, then badger me to make a donation. I would blatantly ignore them every time. Why would I sacrifice my own dollar for someone who was too lazy to work or to get an education? I didn't bother to look past their dirty, ragged clothes and listen to their stories, I would just pop in my ear buds and carry on.
Last fall, I began to volunteer at an afterschool program called the Specialized High School Institute (SHSI). SHSI aimed to help low-income 6th and 7th grade students gain admission to an elite NYC Specialized High School. I expected these kids to be the type that spent too much time playing video games instead of doing homework. To my surprise, many of them didn't even own a computer. They didn't go to schools where teachers pushed them, and they didn't have money to buy books or even school supplies. Many of them took the subway home by themselves - at 7:30PM. I realized that they couldn't be blamed if they didn't do well in the class. They didn't have the resources at their disposal, and they were left with a lot of responsibilities at such a young age.
This past summer, I interned at the Office of the Queens District Attorney. When my work was done, I liked to observe criminal court. Countless times I saw kids my own age or younger get sentenced for crimes such as assault, robbery, and drug possession. Some of them had parents who worked two or three jobs just to make ends meet, leaving the kids home to care for themselves, which subsequently led them to trouble. Most of them were members of minority groups, and the disadvantages that they had were evident. They weren't too lazy or too uneducated; they never had a chance to work or get an education in the first place. The same applied to the kids I worked with at SHSI. I thought of how shamefully ignorant I was. It's almost cruel to judge people and label them based on their success in society, because chances are, it wasn't a life that they willfully chose.
America is not the egalitarian state that it should be, and sometimes people are forced to go to drastic measures just to get by. Cornell's ILR School will allow me to learn about the labor economics and public policy that can make a difference. But for now, I'll do what I can. About a month ago, I was on the subway and a boy who was maybe 9 or 10 years old came into my car with a handheld stereo. He turned on some music, and began tap dancing. He stuck out his hat and I gave him a dollar.
Feedback?